The fainter Crater (the Cup) appears above Corvus but is not an easy target from urban areas. At this time of the year, the Big Dipper appears upside down, with the handle pointing toward the horizon. The best constellations to stargaze in spring are: Spring is the best time to view these constellations and two more can be found only just north, no further, above the equator: For the northern hemisphere, summer constellations are best visible from June to late September. Apus Ara Capricornus Circinus Corona Borealis Delphinus Equuleus Hercules Indus Libra Microscopium Norma Ophiuchus Pavo Sagittarius The Winter Triangle includes Orion and two stars from Canis Major. This statement makes sense, because the constellations visible in the sky depend on longitude. At this time of the year, the Big Dipper appears upside down, with the handle pointing toward the horizon. Two entire constellation families are found in the northern sky. By Andrew Ballantynecategories: Environment & Nature July 25, 2022, 9:58 AM. These constellations appear high overhead in the evening. The northern side of the asterism points in the direction of Spica. It is the 7th largest of the 88 recognized constellations. However, the giant star is not a member of the Hyades. The Orion Nebula is located around 1,350 light-years away from Earth. The first part of the question talks about how early people use the constellations. The most impressive (and prominent) artificial body visible is undoubtedly the International Space Station, and Nasa has a handy Spot The Station (opens in new tab) site to tell you when the ISS will be arcing its way over your location. It marks the tail of Cetus. In December and January you have to catch Crux before dawn. The numerous seas and craters give you a sense of the Moons beautiful but barren landscape. An increase in pollutants like aerosols decreases the amount of light thats able to make it down to earth because the pollutants float in the atmosphere as light particles for a very long time. The most conspicuous constellation above the southern horizon is Triangulum Australe (the Southern Triangle). You'll probably be able to see the constellation Pisces. Astronomy; A super rare green comet is about to make its first and only appearance in recorded history and it will be visible to the naked eye. It. These constellations are always visible in the night sky of the Northern Hemisphere. Southern sky from equatorial latitudes, image: Stellarium. A line extended from Gacrux through Acrux points in the general direction of the north celestial pole. A daily update by email. Viewing the Northern hemisphere night sky, like many outdoor activities, becomes more challenging in the winter. The largest northern constellations are Ursa Major (1279.66 square degrees), Hercules (1225.15), Pegasus (1120.79), Draco (1082.95), Leo (946.96), Botes (906.83) and Pisces (889.42). Tucana in the southwestern sky hosts 47 Tucanae, the second brightest globular cluster in the sky, after Omega Centauri. Something went wrong while submitting the form. Thats many millennia before the first humans walked on Earth. Crux stars can be used to find the fainter Musca (the Fly), which lies near Acrux. Aldebaran, the brightest star in Taurus and the 14th brightest star in the sky, appears in the same line of sight as the Hyades but is not a member of the cluster. Carina also hosts Eta Carinae, one of the most luminous stars known. The Dog Star shines at magnitude -1.46 from a distance of only 8.60 light-years. The brightest stars of Corvus form an asterism known as Spicas Spanker or the Sail. It's also visible during winter in the Northern Hemisphere (in fact, it's part of the Winter Circle). Crescent and gibbous phases highlight some of the detail thats obscured by the glare of the full Moon. A smaller hexagonal asterism appears low above the northern horizon. Arcturus, Spica, and Regulus form the Spring Triangle, an asterism that dominates the northern spring sky. You should start to see many more stars appearing in the sky as you adapt. Procyon, the brightest star in Canis Minor and the eighth brightest star in the sky, appears higher above the horizon, almost directly south. Pollux is one of the stars that form the Winter Hexagon, an exceptionally bright and large asterism formed by six first-magnitude stars (Sirius, Capella, Rigel, Procyon, Aldebaran, and Pollux). Despite this, there are factors whether you are in the city or not that are contributing to the dimming of our star vision. The bright Regulus, the star marking the Lions heart, appears at the base of the Sickle. March 21: New Moon. . Despite its size, the constellation does not stand out in the sky because its stars are mostly faint. What Does Afforestation Mean and Why Is It Important? Northern constellations Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Andromeda, and Pisces are found in the northern celestial hemisphere, whereas Hydrus and Cetus are located in the southern celestial hemisphere. In this post, the seven northern winter constellations are presented in an easy-to-digest format for quick reference, with one prominent deep-sky object highlighted for each constellation, as well as a reference to other objects of interest, all of which are visible using modest amateur equipment. But otherwise its about wrapping up warm, looking towards the heavens and seeing what you can see. Could we live on an Exoplanet (Extrasolar Planet). Accelerate progress in our three core enterprises Explore Worlds, Find Life, and Defend Earth. While the constellation is not particularly conspicuous, it looks like the animal that it represents, and it lies near the bright Orion stars Rigel and Saiph. According to EarthSky.org, the comet will pass below Polaris the North Star at the tip of the Little Dipper and will be visible in the star . The asterism is also known as the Sail. Try downloading a stargazing appfor the northern hemisphere to help you find your way. The South Star, Sigma Octantis (Polaris Australis) is barely visible even in the best of conditions, so the bright stars of Crux, Centaurus, and Eridanus are commonly used to determine the location of the pole. Top left of centre, the two prominent stars are Castor and Pollux in Gemini. 30 Team-Building Activities for Kids (Indoor & Outdoor), What is Vastu? Elsewhere in Eridanus, a telescope will reveal a number of other deep-sky objects (DSOs), including NGC 1300, a beautiful barred spiral galaxy with an abundance of blue and red supergiant stars found 61 million light-years; with another deep-sky object of interest being the inclined spiral galaxy NGC 1332. Procyon, the brightest star in Canis Minor, is the eighth brightest star in the sky. Lepus represents a hare chased by Orion and his two dogs, Canis Major and Canis Minor. In the contiguous U.S., you need to be in southern Florida or Texas (about 26 degrees north latitude or farther south). Let us begin our tour of the most prominent northern hemisphere constellations of the winter sky. Credit: VW Pics / Getty Images. You will receive a verification email shortly. Human-Environment Interaction: Definition & Examples, 25 Outdoor Team Building Activities for Group Bonding, 3 Homemade Heating Pad DIYs to Warm Up Your Winter, How to Make a Bird Box With Easy Customizations, DIY Baking Soda Vinegar Foot Soak For Tired Feet, Why the Difference Between Weather and Climate Matters. Hadar (Beta Centauri) is much more distant and intrinsically luminous. Orion is a prominent constellation visible in the night sky, named after a hunter from Greek mythology. Current sky chart, northern hemisphere This chart shows constellations, planets, and bright stars visible an hour after sunset from the northern hemisphere for the week of 28 November 2020. King of Ethiopia in Greek mythology. Procyon, Sirius, and Betelgeuse can be used to find the faint Monoceros. Our citizen-funded spacecraft successfully demonstrated solar sailing for CubeSats. Such a map would be absolutely monstrous in size. It is traditionally known as the Goat Star. Tonights sky as seen from equatorial latitudes, image: Stellarium. It appears as a bright bunch of grapes, easily visible to the unaided eye even from light-polluted areas, and is best viewed with binoculars. This giant of the northern hemisphere night sky is visible throughout the winter, and is one of the most prominent constellations. Northern constellations are those found in the northern celestial hemisphere, located north of the celestial equator. When small pieces of rock and ice burn up in the atmosphere, they create a short-lived trail of light, visible for seconds at most, colloquially (but incorrectly) known to most of us as shooting stars. 12 wonders of the northern hemisphere night sky to look out for with the naked eye or binoculars. The yellow supergiant/bright giant Beta Camelopardalis, the constellations brightest star, has an apparent magnitude of 4.02. These two massive families of stars contribute to the stories and pictures that illustrate the northern hemisphere, but with a constant movement in space finding the best time to stargaze them can be difficult. In a previous life, Richard spent over a decade on market-leading sci-fi/fantasy magazine SFX, where he talked movies, TV and books with some of the biggest names in the genre. All three are visible to the unaided eye. In the opposite direction, they point towards Sirius in Canis Major, the brightest star in the sky. Stargazers often learn it as they star-hop from the stars of the Big Dipper to find other stars in the sky. Polaris, the brightest star in Ursa Minor, marks the location of the north celestial pole. The four stars that form it Gienah, Kraz, Algorab, and Minkar shine at magnitudes 2.6 3.0. Follow Orions belt in the other direction from Sirius and youll find yourself in Taurus, the sign of the Zodiac representing the bull. The stars that mark the Great Dogs hind legs and tail Adhara, Wezen, and Aludra form a triangle that appears below the bright Dog Star. The same can be said for Hydra. Atria, the brightest of the three stars, points in the direction of Pavo (the Peacock). The constellation Cetus may be the night skys 4th biggest constellation, covering 2.985% of the northern sky, but it contains only one Messier object, M77, which is a barred spiral galaxy 100,000 light-years across and situated 47 million light-years from Earth. Its main constellation figure a crooked hourglass is outlined by Betelgeuse, Rigel, Bellatrix, Saiph, and the stars of Orions Belt. It is also visible near . Dragon. If you live out somewhere rural chances are you see constellations vividly. The Head of Draco is outlined by four relatively bright stars: Eltanin, Rastaban, Grumium, and Kuma. The constellation is also home to a portion of the Virgo Cluster, a galaxy cluster that occupies about 8 degrees of the sky and is centred in the neighbouring zodiac constellation Virgo. Coma Berenices also hosts the Coma Cluster of galaxies, a large cluster that contains more than 1,000 members. Menkar, the star marking the Sea Monsters jaw, can be found using the V-shaped head of the Bull as a pointer. The Lions mane is outlined by an asterism known as the Sickle of Leo. The constellation is relatively faint, but its luminary Alphard can be found using the brighter stars of Leo. Look at the right-hand 'V' of the W-shape and Imagine the bottom point is an arrow; follow the line down about . The bright Crux hosts the Southern Cross, the best-known asterism in the southern hemisphere. The celestial River stretches farther from north to south than any other constellation. Sextans, one of the faintest constellations in the sky, appears directly east, between Leo and Hydra. The face-on galaxy has a bright core, making it a relatively easy target to locate for large binoculars of 15x70s and above, while a small 3.1-inch telescope will then resolve M77 into a ball of fuzzy light with a marginally brighter central area. All messages will be reviewed before being displayed. Capella, the brightest star in Auriga, is the sixth brightest star in the sky. This representation of a legendary hunter boasts two of the brightest stars in the sky in Rigel and Betelgeuse, while Orions sword contains the famous Orion Nebula. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation, is found along the imaginary line extended from Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka, the stars of Orions Belt, to the northwest. These are the best constellations to start with because they are visible all year long. The faint constellations Pyxis and Antlia also make an appearance in the southern and southeastern sky, but their stars are barely visible from light-polluted areas. The sun will cross the celestial equator (an extension of Earth's equator onto the sky) at 5:24 p.m. EDT March 20 heading north. Its one of our own galaxys nearest neighbours. There are a total of 29 Constellations in the Northern Celestial Hemisphere. In the email will be a link to unsubscribe to further notifications. 3. With friends or family, you can find and point out constellations in the night sky while using them to find others. Other than the anthropogenic causes of constellation blindness, weather can affect how you see the stars as well. How to use the Big Dipper as a guide. Taurus is high above the horizon in the evening. Equinox. Looking at Venus through binoculars reveals that it has phases, just like the Moons albeit on a significantly smaller scale. Gemini's two prominent stars, Castor (Alpha () Geminorum . To find the Andromeda galaxy, first look for Cassiopeia, a W-shaped circumpolar constellation in the northern sky. 2.02) appears lower in the sky. The fact that its so close to the Sun means its generally best sighted in the morning before sunrise, or the evening after sunset its currently visible around dawn. Northern Hemisphere Longwave Infrared Composite Base Map. It has an apparent magnitude of 1.0 and an apparent size of 120 arcminutes. The visible and IR imagery depict the location of clouds. The famous variable red giant Mira appears in the Sea Monsters neck. The name means "Guardian of the Bear" and comes from ancient Greek legends. You can support the entire fund, or designate a core enterprise of your choice. Look to the right stars to see the green comet. It shines at magnitude 0.61 from a distance of 390 light-years. in the eastern part of the constellation at 75 degrees west longitude and GOES-15, operating as GOES-West, at 135 degrees west . Summer constellations are collections of stars best viewed in the night sky between the summer months of June to late September. Apart from the bright stars Castor and Pollux, the constellation Gemini also contains the Eskimo Nebula (NGC 2392), which was the first object imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope after the repair mission of December 1999. Simply follow them to the west (left) and youll see Sirius in the constellation of Canis Major (the Great Dog). The Y of Virgo, the identifying feature of Virgo, has partly risen by 10 pm, but the bright Spica, the 16th brightest star in the sky, rises a bit later in the evening. The stars of Monoceros are invisible from heavily light-polluted areas, but the constellation is a popular target for stargazers and astrophotographers because it hosts several well-known deep-sky objects. The globular cluster M92 in Hercules is a familiar target for amateur astronomers, a compact swarm of stars near M13, one of the brightest globulars visible from the northern hemisphere. The northern constellations Cassiopeia and Ursa Major , for instance, are easy to see for observers in the northern hemisphere, but invisible to those living south of the latitudes 20S and 30S respectively. Gemini appears southeast of Auriga and northeast of the bright Orion. Twitter. Western sky from equatorial latitudes, image: Stellarium. The cluster has an apparent magnitude of 1.8 and stretches across 7.5 degrees of the sky. Constellations in the southern circumpolar sky include Grus, Phoenix, Indus, Tucana, Pavo, Ara . Above the characteristic V shape, youll see the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters. The constellation Scorpius, the scorpion, is located in the southern hemisphere of the sky. These constellations are always visible in the night sky of the Southern Hemisphere. It is visible at latitudes between 40 degrees and -90 degrees. Unlike the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere has no bright pole star to highlight the celestial pole. The Cross is fairly easy to visualize, because it stands upright over the horizon. The constellations that appear in the northern sky are mostly those that are circumpolar to the northern hemisphere: Ursa Minor, Cepheus, and Draco. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, It is not a list as to whether the constellation can be seen in the northern hemisphere. List of Constellations in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere. This representation of a legendary hunter boasts two of the brightest stars in the sky in Rigel and Betelgeuse, while Orion's sword contains the famous Orion Nebula. Northern Hemisphere Constellations Many different constellations fill the evening sky in the northern hemisphere. Thank you! The Winter Football, also known as the Winter Hexagon and Winter Circle, is an asterism composed of the brightest stars in the constellations of Canis Major, Orion, Taurus, Auriga, Gemini, and. The head of Hydra can be made out between Procyon and Regulus on a clear, dark night. Betelgeuse and Rigel are both classified as "supergiant" stars, having about 8 and 21 times the mass, respectively, of our Sun. Each season, you will see different constellations above your head. Southern circumpolar constellations include Phoenix, Grus, Tucana, Eridanus, Hydrus, Lupus, Cruz, Centaurus and Carina, among others. It identifies 88 star constellations and the primary stars that comprise them. It appears in the same line of sight as the Hyades and can be found on the imaginary line extended from the three stars of Orions Belt. Gienah and Algorab point in the direction of Spica. They are called the Pointers because they point towards the Southern Cross, an asterism commonly used to find true south. Arcturus is the brightest star in the constellation Botes (the Herdsman), which appears in the northeastern sky in the evening. It looks very much like a lopsided diamond or crooked box and is visible in the northern hemisphere between April and July. Giraffe. The zodiac constellations Leo and Virgo easily stand out above the eastern horizon. Almaaz at the Charioteers elbow is often included in the Kids asterism but was historically not part of it. Western sky in the southern hemisphere, image: Stellarium. For the northern hemisphere, summer constellations are best visible from June to late September. The changing sky has always fascinated mankind. 3. Its brightest stars Acrux, Mimosa, Gacrux, Imai, and Ginan form the Southern Cross, an asterism found on many national flags in the southern hemisphere. And you have to look in the right direction: south! The brightest stars of Andromeda Alpheratz, Mirach, and Almach form a chain that appears almost perpendicular to the northwestern horizon in the evening. It lies only 280 light-years away. The three constellations that once formed Argo Navis, the largest constellation in the sky, appear high above the southern horizon in the evening. The other five stars of the Winter Circle are Capella in Auriga, Aldebaran in Taurus, Rigel in Orion, Sirius in Canis Major, and Procyon in Canis Minor. Two relatively bright stars near it, Saclateni and Haedus, represent the Goats kids (Haedi). The best time to go stargazing is in the summer months. Its three brightest stars, the orange giants Alpha, Epsilon, and Iota Antliae, have apparent magnitudes of 4.25, 4,51, and 4.60. The fainter Lupus (the Wolf) is partly visible below the Pointers. The bright Menkar, the star that marks the Sea Monsters jaw, can be found by following the V of the Hyades cluster in Taurus. Plus, if you don't know your directions you will want to start with Polaris (the North Star). The cluster is easily visible to the unaided eye on a clear night. The constellation Lacerta, the Lizard, was invented in 1690 by Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius from otherwise unassigned stars between Cepheus and Pegasus. For the northern hemisphere, spring constellations are best visible from late March to late June. Gamma Hydrae, the second brightest star in Hydra, is considerably fainter. Its three brightest stars Atria (Alpha Trianguli Australis), Beta Trianguli Australis, and Gamma Trianguli Australis form an almost equilateral triangle that appears just to the right of the Southern Pointers in the evening. You may opt out any time. Where Betelgeuse really excels, however, is in its sheer sizeas much as 1,000 times larger than our Sun! Whether you can see them or not in the northern hemisphere will depend on where you are and the time of the year. Find suitably dark skies, however (check out our guide to the best spots for dark sky stargazing in the US) and this is one of the most beautiful sights of the night sky, a cascade of light cutting through the heavens like a river. The faint constellations Crater and Sextans are difficult targets even in good conditions. It is shaped like a pentagon and can be seen most prominently during the winter evenings. Elnath, the second brightest star in Taurus, marks the Bulls northern horn and is part of Aurigas hexagon. These include constellations of the zodiac: Aquarius, Aries, and Pisces, and constellations in the Perseus family: Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Cetus, Pegasus, Perseus, and Triangulum. Get updates and weekly tools to learn, share, and advocate for space exploration. Crux spreads out for around 68 square degrees in the sky. Taurus dominates the northwestern sky. Cetus has partly set by 10 pm. The Eskimo Nebula can be seen with a small telescope, with a more powerful Meade 14 used to take the image below. The white bright giant star shines at magnitude -0.74 from a distance of 310 light-years. Bootes: containing the brightest star in the northern hemisphere. Columba is a small constellation appearing south of Canis Major and Lepus. The Big Dipper has another astronomicl treat in its tail a double star. In addition, there are a further five constellations that are visible throughout the whole year because they are north circumpolar and therefore appear to be orbiting the North Star(Polaris), these being Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Draco, Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor. Miaplacidus, the second brightest star in Carina, can be used to find the fainter constellations Volans and Chamaeleon, while Canopus appears near the border with Pictor. The Carina Nebula is a giant stellar nursery located about 7,500 light-years away and visible to the unaided eye. But taking a closer look at the Moon can be a rewarding experience, and a decent pair of binoculars reveals plenty of surface features invisible to the naked eye. Alpha Pyxidis shines at magnitude 3.68 and Alpha Antliae is even fainter at magnitude 4.25. Its easy to take the most prominent object in the northern hemisphere night sky for granted Earths nearest neighbour is so much brighter than everything else that you cant really miss it. It hosts three open clusters listed in the Messier catalogue: Messier 46, Messier 47, and Messier 93. Even though they each contain several stars brighter than magnitude 3.0, the constellations do not contain any particularly conspicuous asterisms that would make them instantly recognizable. Situated 1,350 light-years away, M42 is actually a vast star-forming region called a nebula, which becomes more apparent when viewed through 1050 binoculars or a telescope, when its central region becomes obvious, together with fainter nebulosity stretching outwards as two wings. Lepus (the Hare) appears at Orions feet. Achernar, the first-magnitude star that marks the Rivers end is below the horizon. Do We Need Them? Puppis makes an appearance directly south, but it stays low above the horizon for most northern observers. The constellations second brightest star, Cursa, appears near Rigel at Orions foot. The star has a mass 9 times that of the Sun and is 170,000 times more luminous. Binoculars enhance the characteristic red colour that led to Mars being named after the Roman god of war. The Belt of Orion, one of the best-known asterisms in the sky, is formed by the hot blue stars Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka. The Sickle looks like a backward question mark and has Regulus, the constellations brightest star, at its base. Northern sky in the southern hemisphere, image: Stellarium. stars and constellations visible from the southern hemisphere 6 pages for each month covering january december 2022 collins 2019 guide to the night sky southern These include the Flaming Star Nebula and the Tadpole Nebula. Heres 12 things to look out for in the northern hemisphere night sky this winter. Universe Guide Asteroid Asteroid Facts Popular Asteroids Apollo Chiron Eros Groom Hygiea Icarus Ida Iris Juno Pallas Vesta Comets Comet Facts Popular Comets Minneapolis, Minnesota (45 degrees north) is used as a reference city. According to In-The-Sky.org , the constellations of Eridanus, Gemini, Lepus, Monoceros and Taurus are all near Orion's Belt. As the spring season approaches, the asterism will rise a little earlier in the sky each day until it is fully visible around 10 pm. It hosts some of the most massive and luminous stars known in the Milky Way. The Orion Constellation is probably one of the most well known and easily recognizable constellations in the night sky, easily . The Pleiades (M45) is arguably the most famous open star cluster in the entire sky, and together with the Hyades star cluster (Melotte 25) can be found just 444 light-years and 153 light-years away respectively in the constellation Taurus. Rising temperatures, increased and frequent wildfires, and pollution are all harming astronomical observations. Cassiopeia lies in the northwestern sky and Ursa Major is high in the northeast. You should go somewhere that is naturally dark as to avoid light pollution blocking your view: leave dense urban areas and find a remote or isolated niche to watch the sky. Mimosa is second-brightest star in Southern Cross, Acrux is brightest star in Southern Cross. In 1612, Dutch astronomer Petrus Plancius created the constellation Camelopardalis, the Giraffe, from a jumble of faint stars between Ursa Major and Perseus. With loads of interesting stars, planets, moons, nebulae, galaxies, star clusters and other astronomical phenomena to view, even the casual observer can experience the wonders of the cosmos. Base Layers . Ursa Major (The Big Dipper) If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, the Big Dipper is a constellation staple. The constellations that appear in the northern sky are mostly those that are circumpolar to the northern hemisphere: Ursa Minor, Cepheus, and Draco. The brightest constellations in winter include: In winter, the southern hemisphere shares constellations with the northern hemisphere. are usually visible with the naked eye, binoculars reveal more of a vast group of stars that actually covers way more of the sky than youll see without a powerful telescope. Account Center Contact Us Privacy Policy. Even though its age is only 3.2 million years (compared to the Suns 4.6 billion years), Naos is already near the end of its life. Orions Sword, seen hanging from the Hunters belt, is another recognizable asterism in the constellation. Alderamin, the brightest star in Cepheus, appears at the base of the house asterism. Its neither the brightest nor most spectacular object in the northern hemisphere night sky, but when you think about what youre actually looking at, the Andromeda Galaxy is truly awe-inspiring. This will mark the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Crux is easily visible from the southern hemisphere at practically any time of year. Cassiopeia. To the naked eye, 7 stars are visible in the Pleiades (right) and at least 15 stars in the Hyades (left), rising to many dozens with the use of good quality binoculars. Five first-magnitude stars appear in the northern sky in the evening: Rigel and Betelgeuse in Orion, Procyon in Canis Minor, Pollux in Gemini, and Aldebaran in Taurus. Visible in a dark sky as a large, fuzzy patch of light bigger than a full moon (its slightly clearer with binoculars) the Andromeda Galaxy can be found (opens in new tab) just below the distinctive and ever-present W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia. Eridanus stretches from Rigel in Orion near the celestial equator into the far southern sky. Aries sets in the northwest around 10 pm. There was a problem. The bright Gemini appears high above the northern horizon. You just need to look. One light-year is the distance light travels in a single year, about 6 trillion miles (10 trillion kilometers). It has to be the right time of night. The next part of the question is the The constellations in tonights sky host many familiar star patterns. Its smaller sibling, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), lies in the constellations Hydrus and Tucana and stays below the horizon in the evening. The giant Alphard, the constellations brightest star, shines at magnitude 2.0. This marks the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the start of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Representing the stern of Argo, the mythical ship of Jason and the Argonauts, Puppis was once part of the larger constellation Argo Navis with the neighbouring constellations Carina and Vela. Out of all the options, option B is the right one. The nebula is visible to the unaided eye even in less-than-ideal conditions. Bottom line: The Southern Cross can be seen by northerners, as long as youre below 26 degrees north and know where and when to look! Western sky in the northern hemisphere, image: Stellarium. The faint Sculptor, the home of the Sculptor Galaxy (NGC 253) and the Cartwheel Galaxy (ESO 350-40), is difficult to see from light-polluted areas. Its luminary Spica appears low in the sky and sits at the base of the Y of Virgo, a bright asterism that looks like a crooked letter Y and makes the constellation recognizable.